Electrical storage-cell.



NQ. 744,216. C PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903.

' I J. A. LYONS 65E. C. BROADWELL.

ELECTRICAL STORAGE CELL.

APPLICATION FILI-ID JAN. 28, 1903. N0 MODEL.. v

UNITED STATES Patented November 17, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. LYONS AND EDVARD C. BROADWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICAL STORAGE=CELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,216, dated November17, 1903.

Application filed January 26, 1903. Serial No. 140.664. (No model.)

I a/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN A. LYoNs and EDWARD C. BROADWELL, citizens ofthe United States, and residents ofthe city of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of lili.- nois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Storage-Cells; and we do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a light and cheapaccumulator-cell,which while having a high efficiency will beofcomparatively small compass and which will not deteriorate if leftcharged for a long period of time.

Our invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and morefully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figurel is a vertical section of` the cell embodyingour invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same, taken on line2 2 of Fig. l.

In carrying out our invention we electrolyze either a paste A, oflground or granular carbon and lead chlorid, bromid, or iodid, or asolution of the chlorids, bromids, or iodids of zinc, cadmium, cobalt,nickel, iron, tin, or copper, using any suitable electrical conductor-as, for instance, the metallic-containing jar B-as a cathode and aporous anode C, of carbon, either so cemented together as to leave itvery porous throughout, or, if preferred, the said carbonaceous materialcanbe encompassed by a suitable retaining-wall of cloth asbestos,unglazed clay, or the like, our purpose being to form a carbonaceousWick to support bromin against gravity or condense chlorin. l

We take advantage of the fact that charcoal when compact is able tocondense and retain Within its pores about two hundred (200) times itsvolume or three-fourths of its weight of chlorin gas and a largerquantity of liquid bromin.

While we are aware that it is a well-known fact that the chlorids,bromids, and iodids of the above named metals deposit the said metalsand the halogen upon the cathode and anode, respectively, uponelectrolysis, there has heretofore been no eort to retain or store thehalogen so eliminated, at least within the body of the anode, and,moreover, such electrolysis have been mostly operated to obtain themetals and halogens for chemical use as such or for chemicaltranspositions and not, to the best ot our knowledge and belief, for theemplacement of the ions in such manner as to return by theirrecombination as kinetic energy the potentiality endowed by theirdisassociation by electrolysis.

In practice We prefer the haloid salts of lead, cobalt, nickel, cadmium,or zinc, since the haloid combinations of iron, tin, and copper exist intwo modifications, thus interfering with the regularity of the voltageof the accumulator both in charging and discharging. Inv conjunctionwith the haloid salts of above-named metals we may add any other baseacid or salt which would have a tendency to increase 'the conductivityof its electrolyte without interfering in any Way with the mechanism ofthe electrolytic action, such as chlorid of calcium or sodium or theirnitrates.

We claim as our inventionl. In an electric accumulator a porous carbonanode forvthe retention of the halogens by capillary attraction and theproperty of absorption.

2. In an accumulator an electrolyte of the haloid salts of such metalsas deposit reguline from their aqueous solutions by electrolysis and aporous carbon anode adapted to retain halogens by capillary attractionand the property of absorption. g

3. In an electrical accumulator the combination with a cathode, of aporous carbon anode, and an electrolyte containing one or more haloidsalts.

el. In an electrical accumulator the combination with a cathode, of anelectrolyte containing haloid salts in conjunction with a compact 'pasteconsisting of granular carbon acting as a porous anode.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names in thepresence of two subscribingl witnesses.

JOHN A. LYONS. EDWARD C. BROADWELL.

Witnesses:

C. W. HILLS, WILLIE W. W. UHENBURY.

